On Wednesday, 3 January, the new group of NJP photographers met in Oslo. This is the seventh round for the Norwegian Journal of Photography (NJP). Over the next two years, these nine photographers will be working on their projects in collaboration with mentors and each other.
The photographers met at Fritt Ord in Oslo, where they introduced their projects, ideas and photographs to each other and to the NJP mentors.
The nine photographers taking part in the seventh round of NJP are:
Espen Eichhöfer, Helene Mariussen, Jói Kjartans, Krister Sørbø, Naina Helén Jåma, Matilde Solsvik, Lena Lislevand, Christian Tunge and Gina Grieg Riisnæs.
Christian Tunge will continue to focus on environmental challenges, concentrating, among other things, on the symbolic value of butterflies.
“For the past 18 months, I have travelled to some of the world’s largest butterfly parks to document butterflies. I plan to continue working with microorganisms and the importance of insects for the planet”, he states.
An interest in ecology, the environment and microorganisms brought him into contact with a group of beekeepers a few years ago. After several discussions, it turned out that Christian was especially excited about exploring the myths and stories about bees from an artistic perspective. In connection with this work, he came across an article about butterflies.
“Butterflies are nature’s hallmark for a healthy ecosystem. If the butterflies disappear, it is a sure sign that something is wrong. The places I have visited include zoos in the US that feature contrived plant life, animals produced by breeding, and remotely controlled climates. Butterflies and bees have acquired an important symbolic significance in large parts of the world. They have given rise to a number of the cultural references that bind us together”, coments Christian.
Photographer Gina Grieg Riisnæs is part of Aftenposten’s foreign affairs editorial team. As a journalist and photographer, she has been close to the conflict in Ukraine since January 2022. She will remain in Ukraine until March, when she will be moving to cover the Middle East for the same newspaper.
In connection with NJP, she will continue to work with images from Ukraine and make regular trips back to the country to continue documenting the war.
“The goal of this project is to render visible the war and Russia’s invasion of the country. I want to fine hone it and make the project more concrete. One of the questions I have, and one of my goals at NJP, is to figure out where my focus should be as I continue to document the war in Ukraine going forward”, says Gina.
Naina Helén Jåma focuses on legacy, a topic of interest to her since she started taking pictures at age 14.
“I am a Sámi myself. In the Sámi culture, they say that we borrow the Earth from future generations. What do young people think about challenges related to climate and the environment? What thoughts do they have about the old proverb I just mentioned? These are questions that I want to explore. What legacy will be handed down to the next generation?” asks Naina.
She will conduct in-depth interviews with representatives of the Sámi culture, using them as a point of departure for taking a deep dive into the topic of legacy. During her presentation, she explained that she will also be working with ideas and thoughts about how the project should be presented visually.
Photographer Matilde Solsvik is from the tiny village of Vik, a hamlet in the municipality of Øygarden near Bergen. Vik is a place where everyone knows each other. Even though she no longer lives there, the place is close to her heart. “Ever since I moved away from Vik seven years ago, I have felt a strong connection to my home town. At the same time, I have felt a strong sense of freedom since I moved. Coming from a village feels both safe and unsafe at the same time,” according to Matilde.
During her time with NJP, she plans to explore Vik, a project that she began when it was the main focus of her studies. She also wants to show what it is like to live and grow up in a small coastal community in western Norway. While continuing to explore the history and traditions of her home town, she will also examine what is new.
“I have already spent a great deal of time there. They live close to nature. Fishing is important and religion stands strong. I want to dive into this and explore it with my camera”, she explains. She aspires to examine generational interaction in Vik, as well as how people and nature interact, and to explore the importance of faith and religion.
Jói Kjartans is from Iceland. After becoming a graphic designer, he studied photography at Bilder Nordic. His project will revolve around a superstition that is still alive on Iceland, although it is disappearing among the younger generations.
“Huldufólk, or the invisible people, are a myth or superstition that has long roots on Iceland. They live in rocks and mountains. While they can help the people of Iceland, they can also be cruel. While this belief has been around for a long time, it is slowly but surely slipping away. My project has been inspired by this superstition”, Jói points out.
He wants to photograph things that remind him of the stories of the Huldufólk, then weave them together with the story of his own family.
“My grandfather went to sea and he was a clairvoyant. That meant that he was also shrouded in mystery. That is why I want to explore this through the lens of my camera in an attempt to preserve the history of superstition,” he concludes.
Photographer Espen Eichhöfer is originally from the Hallingdal region. He posed an important question during his presentation as an introduction to the topic he wants to explore in depth over the next two years.
“I carried out a project in my home town, where I took pictures of people that showed their close ties with and connection to nature. These images address my origins very specifically, including my Norwegian-German identity and my family. Simplicity, level-headedness and a close connection to nature emerge in the images as parts of a core Norwegian identity.
“While working on this project, I became curious about whether this is actually a core Norwegian identity – or whether it was just my imagination? The question of what shapes our identity has become a driving force behind my work as a photographer,” remarks Espen.
He started working on ‘Oslo Show’ a year ago. He will focus on the younger generation in Oslo.
“I am shadowing a group of students and entrepreneurs who come from the academic upper middle class. These people will largely shape the country’s future. How does a generation living in the tension zone between the prosperity which, historically speaking, is a recent achievement, and awareness that the end of the fossil age is approaching? How will Oslo be marked by this tension?
“My photographic approach consists of a combination of observed everyday situations, photographic interpretations, and shadowing people over time,” he concludes.
Helene Mariussen’s project deals with feminist pornography. She examines how to produce pornography and make it feminist at the same time.
“I met a woman who gave a speech about being a feminist, and she worked as a porn star. I was given permission to shadow her. I will be taking photos of her everyday life, while also exploring the circles in which she moves”, Helene explains.
“The actor is multi-cultural and felt she had not seen herself represented in porn films. She is also concerned about ethics, that is, that actors should be paid, be safe, and that all cultures are represented.
“I hope that my project will help encourage discourse about pornography in Norway, since we are lagging behind the rest of Europe. I want the voices fighting for feminist rights to be heard,” she says.
Krister Sørbø has already visited Taiwan once. During his NJP project, he plans to return to the island several times to be able to tell the story of what many people today refer to as the world’s most dangerous place.
“They fear being invaded by China, and US intelligence says they are likely to be invaded by 2027. I want to use my project to explore what it’s like to live with this dark cloud hanging over you.
“How does it affect people when they see signs on every street corner in Taipei pointing the way to the nearest bomb shelter? How does it affect young people who are drawn into the military’s ‘young people’s unit’ before they are conscripted? What will the future of the average Taiwanese look like if China gains control?”
He made his first visit to Taiwan in spring 2023, commissioned by the Norwegian Defense Forum. At that time, he focussed sharply on the military aspect. Now he wants to return to get closer to the people who live on Taiwan.
Lena Lislevand has worked for a year in a community of people for whom joyriding is a serious hobby. Now she plans to use the years ahead to dig even deeper into these communities.
“The joyriding phenomenon has spread all across the country, from big cities to remote rural areas. The participants are a diverse range of young people who are all looking for excitement and want to be part of something bigger. They have created an inclusive meeting place where young people can get together. This sense of community plays an important part in combating loneliness in rural areas,” comments Lena.
“I grew up in a tiny village called Søgne, where car culture and riding around were important. It’s about excitement, about being part of something bigger, and being good enough for those who are part of the joyriding culture,” Lena explains.
“Through my images, I want to show life from their point of view. I want to challenge prejudices by telling about the wide range of experiences and relationships that exist within the subculture.
“I want to get close to the community and gain access to their everyday lives. I want to be there when they have meets on the beaches in the southern part of Norway, in the mountains to the west, and with snow and the midnight sun in the north, as well as in the more urban areas in the east. I want to explore similarities and differences across the country. All over Norway”, says the photographer.
